KOSCIUSKO — A Ligonier man was arrested after an employee found him inside a secured impound lot at Stuckman Towing and Salvage, Syracuse, with a stolen golf cart. The man fled, entered into a nearby residence and offered the homeowner money to hide him.

Kenny Nicholas Gutierrez

Kenny Nicholas Gutierrez, 37, 501 South Martin St., Ligonier, was booked for attempting to commit a felony, theft, criminal trespass and residential entry.

On Nov. 2, an officer with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department responded to Stuckman Towing and Salvage. Employees advised that Gutierrez had arrived in a golf cart and was now in the secured impound lot. The officer and employees located Gutierrez hiding underneath a vehicle inside the lot. While the officer was walking Gutierrez to the office, he fled on foot.

An employee observed Gutierrez exit a nearby residence. The officer spoke with the homeowner who advised he was sleeping and heard his daughter-in-law screaming. Gutierrez was inside the residence and offered the homeowner money to hide him. The homeowner ordered him to leave and Gutierrez obeyed.

The officer was able to locate Gutierrez inside a camper owned by another individual. Gutierrez told the officer he obtained the golf cart from a male who has been incarcerated in the jail since June. The golf cart did not belong to the individual Gutierrez identified. The golf cart was stolen from a garage earlier that morning and was valued at $6,000.

Gutierrez was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail with a $5,250 surety and cash bond.